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t LIBRARY OF (MiiRESS.# 



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| UNITED STATi \1ERICA. J 



THE 



MODERN ART 



OF 



faming Hifo Purses. 



ALSO A NUMBER OF VALUABLE 



RECEIPTS. 



By W. R. GULP. 

IfllRB EMTIO*, REVISED AND CORRECTED BY THE AUTHOR. 




> L U 31 B 

& 6C 

1856 







.31 



Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1856, 

By W. B. CTJLP, 
In the Clerk's Office of the District of Southern Ohio. 



INTRODUCTION. 

Though under ever fluctuating, but sometimes propitious 
circumstances, the very climax of equestrian power may 
have been reached in a few cases, in the United States, as 
in the country from which we derive our skill and material, 
is it not still worthy of all consideration how we may contrive 
to belay, as the sailors say, what we have gained in that 
important branch of industry, not only as a means of enjoy- 
ment, but as a means of personal safety. 

It has been about four thousand years since the first do- 
mestication of the horse. It was first commenced in a very 
indifferent way, but a better knowledge of the horse induced 
men to try experiments upon some principle of management 
by which they can be of most use to man. It has been a 
subject of much thought, and may still be continued for the 
same length of time, and still there may be improvements 
made, for they are yet to this day to a greater or less degree, a 
dangerous, fretful servant ; but to such as better understand 
his nature, a kind and pleasant one, and it is for the pur- 
pose of giving all better ideas of his management to make 
him a kind and pleasant servant, that I give you the experi- 
ments of time and thought. 

In contemplating the whole animal kingdom, does not 
man, standing pre-eminently at the head of it, surrounded by 
the domestic races, present everywhere the most lustrous 
spot on the varied map of living creation? — His faithful dog 
at his feet, his horse at his side, submissive to his will; the 
patient ox bows his neck to the yoke, and the sheep and 
hog are present to supply his clothing and his food. And 
do not these arrangements for our benefit, and which give 



4 

us dominion over all the earth, enjoin upon us the duty of 
studying their habits, their economy, and all the laws of 
their existence, with a view to their improvement for our 
advantage, in every way consistent with kindness to them, 
and with gratitude to Him, who in his sovereign wisdom, 
made them all. 

Take a view of a large portion of the horses in use. They 
are governed by brutal force, and are fretful, vicious, and 
dangerous servants ; but to those who cultivate their finer 
nature, one of the kindest servants that the Creator has giv- 
en to man. The Arab's horse occupies a part of his mas- 
ter's tent; you never hear of an accident with them; the 
manner in which they are trained from a foal, he will leave 
the drove at his master's call, and if his master should have 
to lie down by the road side, as is the case very frequently, 
to rest, he stands by his side, and neighs to arouse his mas- 
ter at the approach of danger. I will now proceed to give 
to you the principles of a theory of taming horses, which is 
the result of an investigation of the different methods of 
horsemenship now in use. I also add a number of receipts 
for the most common diseases prevalent among horses. 



THE 



®|ree leading principles of ntg %onj, 

FOUNDED ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OP THE HORSE. 



First — that he has no consciousness of his strength be- 
yond his experience, and can be handled according to our 
wish without force, if we understand his nature as we should. 

Second — that he is so constituted, that he will not offer 
resistance to any demand made of him, if made in a way 
consistent with the laws of his nature, which he compre- 
hends. 

Third — that we can, by complying with the four senses, 

seeing, hearing, smelling and feeling, take any thing on or 
about him, which does not inflict pain, without causing him 
to fear. 

Now, to take up the first assertion, that he is unconscious 
of his strength, can be proven to the satisfaction of all. For 
see that large, fine horse trying to follow his company play- 
ing yonder, and he fastened with a strap that would not 
even hold a man, yet it holds him, and why ; because he 
does not know that he can break it and run at liberty — like 
the ignorant part of mankind, who look at the different 
changes of the moon and stars, but never inquire why these 
things are so. If all men were so, what would be the con- 
dition of our minds ; they would be inferior to the brute. 

Our second position. The horse, though possessed of 
faculties equal, or superior to man, being deficient in reason- 
ing power, and knowing not of any imposition practiced up- 
on him, nor conscious of his strength, will yield to the will 
of man. God has so wisely formed his nature, so that man, 
possessed of a mind so superior to the horse, can, by under- 
standing his nature, make him a kind and submissive ser- 



6 

yant. Any one who chooses to be so cruel, can monnt the 
noble steed, and run him until he falls dead. If he had the 
power to reason, and was conscious of his strength, would 
he submit to such cruel treatment ? But happily for us 
that he is not conscious of imposition or thought of disobe- 
dience as that caused by the violation of the laws of his na- 
ture ; hence we come to the conclusion that if we take the 
horse in accordance with the laws of his nature, he will do 
anything that he fully comprehends, without offering re- 
sistance. 

Our third position. We know from a natural course of 
reasoning, that there has never been an effect without a 
cause, and from this fact we know that there is some cause 
for every impulse or movement of either mind or matter, 
and that this law governs all the animal kingdom. Then, 
according to this theory, if fear exists in the imagination, it 
can be removed by complying with the laws of his nature, 
with which he examines objects and determines upon their 
innocence or harm. With this introduction to my theory, I 
will now attempt to tell you how to practice it, by commenc- 
ing with the first steps to be taken with the colt, and pro- 
ceed clear through. 

How to succeed in getting the Colt from Pasture. — Go to 
the pasture and walk around the drove quietly, so as not to 
scare them, then approach them slowly; if you should 
frighten them, stand still until they are quiet, then follow 
them gently, keeping them in the direction you wish them 
to go, but do not halloo or whip around with your arms or a 
stick; thus taking advantage of their ignorance, you can 
drive them in the yard as easy as the hunter does the birds 
into his net, for they require the same gentle treatment as 



the bird. If you follow this plan, you will have but little 
trouble in this part. 

Bow to stable a Chit. — The next will be to stable him. 
This we will do as quietly as possible, so as not to excite 
suspicion. The best way to do this is to lead a gentle horse 
into the stable, then walk around your colt in a very slow 
and steady pace, so as not to scare and start him to run, for 
one wrong move may make him think it necessary to escape 
for the safety of his life, and thus make two hours work of 
a ten or fifteen minutes job, and this would be your own 
fault; for he will not run unless you run after him, and it is 
not probable that you can out run him ; but he will not try 
to break and run unless you attempt to force him ; if he 
should not see the way immediately, do not try to drive him, 
but close upon him in a very slow and careless manner, let- 
ting your arms hang by your side, for you might as well 
swing a club as your arm, for he would think that either 
might let loose and hit him, but if he should break and run, 
walk around him in the same gentle manner, and close up 
more slow, and very seldom he will run the second time, un- 
less you scare him ; he will then find that you do not intend 
to hurt him, and will then walk in to get farther from you. 
As soon as he is in, remove your gentle horse, and give 
your colt a few ears of corn or some bran ; this will content 
him in his confinement. Be careful to have your stable 
clear of dogs or chickens, or anything to scare him j then let 
him alone for some time until he becomes quiet. Now pre- 
pare your halter, always using a leather one, for you should 
always put a halter on first, especially if he should be a very 
wild one. Have your nose band so that it will be very 
loose, and comes at the right place neither too high or low. 



PREVAILING OPINION OF HORSEMEN. 

It is a prevailing opinion among horsemen generally that 
the sense of smell is .the governing sense of the horse. And 
Faucher, as well as others, have with that view got up re- 
ceipts of strong smelling oils, etc., to tame the horse, some- 
times using the chesnut of his leg, which they dry, grind 
into powder and blow into his nostrils. Sometimes using 
the oil of rhodium, oraganum, etc., that are noted for their 
strong smell. And sometimes they scent the hand with the 
sweat from under the arm, or blow their breath into his 
nostrils, etc., etc. All of which, as far as the scent goes, 
have no effect whatever in gentling the horse, or conveying 
any idea to his mind ; though the works that accompany 
these efforts — handling him, touching him about the nose 
and head, and patting him, as they direct you should, after 
administering the articles, may have a very great effect, 
which they mistake to be the effect of the ingredients used. 
And Faucher, in his work entitled, "The Arabian art of 
taming Horses/' page 17, tells us how to accustom a horse 
to a robe, by administering certain articles to his nose ; and 
goes on to say that these articles must first be applied to the 
horse's nose, before you attempt to break him, in order to 
operate successfully. 

Now reader, can you, or any one else, give one single 
reason how scent can convey any idea to the horse's mind of 
what we want him to do ? If not, then of course strong 
soents of any kind are of no account in taming the unbro- 
ken horse. For, every thing that we get him to do of his 
own accord without force, must be accomplished by some 
means of conveying our ideas to his mind. I say to my 



horse, "go-'long!" and he goes; "ho!" and he stops; be- 
cause these two words of which he has learned the meaning 
by the tap of the whip, and the pull of the rein that first 
accompanied them, convey the two ideas to his mind of go 
and stop. 

Faucher, or no one else, can ever learn the horse a single 
thing by the means of scent alone. 

How long do you suppose a horse would have to stand and 
smell of a bottle of oil before he would learn to bend his 
knee and make a bow at your bidding, " go yonder and bring 
your hat," or, "come here and lay down? Thus you see 
the absurdity of trying to break or tame the horse by the 
means of receipts for articles to smell of, or medicine to 
give him, of any kind whatever. 

The only science that has ever existed in the world, rela- 
tive to the breaking of horses, that has been of any account^ 
is that true method which takes them in their native state, 
and improves their intelligence. 

There are three kinds of horses which claim our attention; 
first, there is the cross fighting horse ; secondly, the wild 
scarey horse which bounds away from us at every approach j 
third, the sullen or mulish one which cares but little about 
you, and will pay but little attention to you. 

And to be a successful horseman we must have somo 
method by which to conquer the first, and to convince the 
second that we intend him no harm by our caresses and 
kindness. And the third we must pursue the same method 
to claim his attention so as to get him obedient. 

We will now consider these three separate; first we will 
take the wild scarey one when he is in the stable, enter the 
stable very quietly, when you are in stand still, keep your 
eye fixed on your horse all the time you can, then if yowp 



10 

horse is quiet approach him very slow, if he stirs stand still 
until he is settled, then move gently towards him — it is hest 
to approach about the shoulder, when near enough to touch 
him stand still, bend your left arm at the elbow, your hand 
toward the horse, stand in this position until he turns his 
head to you to examine you and your hand which you must 
favor him with, and as often as he wishes, you can then 
commence your gentling him, which is done in the following 
manner, which is the best method that I have found : 

POWEl/s SYSTEM OF APPROACHING THE COLT. 

I will give you Willis J. Powel's system of approaching a 
wild colt, as given by him in a work published in Europe, 
about the year 1814, on the "Art of taming wild Horses." 
He says, "A horse is gentfed by my secret, in from two to 
sixteen hours." The time I have most commonly employed 
has been from four to six hours. He goes on to say: "Cause 
your horse to be put in a small yard, stable, or room. If in 
a stable or room, it ought to be large in order to give him 
some exercise with the halter before you lead him out. If 
ihe horse belongs to that class which appears only to fear 
man, you must introduce yourself gently into the stable, 
room, or yard where the horse is. He will naturally run 
from you, and frequently turn his head from you ; but you 
must walk about extremely 6low and softly, so that he can 
see you whenever he turns his head towards you, which he 
never fails to do in a short time, say in a quarter or half an 
hour. I never knew one to be much longer without turning 
towards me. 

"At the very moment he turns his head, hold out your 
left hand towards him, and stand perfectly still, keeping 
your eyes upon the horse, watching his motions, if he makes 
any. If the horse does not stir for ten or fifteen minutes, 



11 

advance as slowly as possible, and without making the least 
noise, always holding out your left hand, without any other 
ingredient in it, than what nature put in it." 

He says " I have made use of certain ingredients before 
people, such as the sweat under my arm, etc., to disguise 
the real secret, and many believed that the docility to which 
the horse arrived in so short a time, was owing to these in- 
gredients; but you see from this explanation that they were 
of no use whatever. The implicit faith placed in these in- 
gredients, though innocent of themselves, become 'faith 
without works/ And thus men remained always in doubt 
concerning this secret. If the horse makes the least motion 
when you advance towards him, stop, and remain perfectly 
still until he is quiet. Remain a few moments in this con- 
dition, and then advance again in the same slow and almost 
imperceptible manner. Take notice : if the horse stirs, stop 
without changing yeur position. It is very uncommon for 
the horse to stir more than once after you begin to advance? 
yet there are exceptions. He generally keeps his eyes 
steadfast on you, until you get near enough to touch him on 
the forehead. When you are thus near to him, raise slow- 
ly, and by degrees, your hand, and let it come in contact 
with that part just above the nostrils as lightly as possible: 
If the horse flinches, (as many will,) repeat with great ra- 
pidity these light strokes upon the forehead, going a little 
farther up towards his ears by degrees, and descending with 
the same rapidity until he will let you handle his forehead 
all over. Now let the strokes be repeated with more force 
over all his forehead, descending by lighter strokes to each 
side of his head, until you can handle that part with equal 
facility. Then touch in the same light manner, making 
your hands and fingers play around the lower part of the 



12 

horse's ears, coming down now and then to his forehead, 
which may be looked upon as the helm that governs all the 
rest. 

" Having succeeded in handling his ears, advance towards 
the neck, with the same precautions, and in the same man- 
ner; observing always to augment the force of the strokes 
whenever the horse will permit it. Perform the same on 
both sides of the neck, until he lets you take it in your 
arms without flinching. 

"Proceed in the same progressive manner to the sides, 
and then to the back of the horse. Every time the horse 
shows any nervousness return immediately to the forehead 
as the true standard, patting him with your hands, and from 
thence rapidly to where you had already arrived, always 
gaining ground a considerable distance farther on every time 
this happens. The head, ears, neck and body being thus 
gentled proceed from the back to the root of the tail. 

"This must be managed with dexterity, as a horse is 
never to be depended on that is skittish about the tail. 
Let your hand fall lightly and rapidly on that part next to 
the body a minute or two, and then you will begin to give 
It a slight pull upwards every quarter of a minute. At the 
same time you continue this handling of him, augment the 
force of the strokes as well as the raising of the tail, until 
you can raise it and handle it with the greatest ease, which 
commonly happens in a quarter of an hour in most horses; 
in others almost immediately, and in some much longer. It 
now remains to handle all his legs; from the tail come back 
again to the head, handle it well, as likewise the ears, breast, 
neck, etc., speaking now and then to the horse. Begin by 
degrees to descend to the legs, always ascending and de- 



13 

scending, gaining ground every time you descend until you 
get to his feet. 

"Talk to the horse in Latin, Greek, French, English, or 
Spanish, or in any other language you please ; but let him 
hear the sound of your voice, which at the beginning of the 
operation is not quite so necessary, but which I have al- 
ways done in making him lift up his feet Hold up your 
foot — *Live la pied' — <Alza el pie* — 'Aron ton poda/ etc., 
at the same time lift his foot with your hand- He soon be- 
comes familiar with the sounds, and will hold up his foot at 
command. Then proceed to the hind feet and go on in the 
same manner, and in a short time the horse will let you lift 
them and even take them up in your arms. 

"All this operation is no magnetism, no galvanism; it i» 
merely taking away the fear a horse generally has of a man, 
and familiarizing the animal with his master; as the horse 
doubtless experiences a certain pleasure from this handling, 
he will soon become gentle under it, and show a very mark- 
ed attachment to his keeper/ ' 

If your horse, instead of being wild, seems to be of a 
stubborn or mulish disposition ; if he lays back his ears as 
you approach him, or turns his heels to kick you, he has 
not that regard or fear of man that he should have, to en- 
able you to handle him quickly and easily; and it might be 
well to give him a few sharp cuts with the whip, about the 
legs, and the crack of the whip will affect him as much as 
the stroke ; besides one sharp cut about his legs will affect 
him more than two or three over his back, the skin on the 
inner part of his legs or about his flank being thinner, more 
tender than on his back. But do not whip him much, just 
enough to scare him, it is not because we want to hurt the 
horse that we whip him, we only do it to scare that bad dis- 



14 

pesition out of him. But whatever you do, do quickly, 
sharply and with a good deal of fire, but always without au- 
ger. If you are going to scare him at all, you must do it at 
once. Never go into a pitch battle with your horse, and 
whip him until he is mad, and will fight you; you had bet- 
ter not touch him at all, for you will establish instead of fear 
and regard, feelings of resentment, hatred and ill will. It 
will do him no good, but an injury, to strike a blow, unless 
you can scare him ; but if you succeed in scaring him, you 
<jan whip him without making him mad; for fear and anger 
never exist together in the horse, and as soon as one is visi- 
ble, you will find that the other has disappeared. As soon 
as you have frightened him so that he well stand up straight 
and pay some attention te you, approach him again, and 
oaress him a good deal more than you whipped him, then you 
will excite the two controlling passions of his nature, love 
and fear, and then he will fear and love you too, and as soon 
as he learns what to do, will obey quickly. 

The fighting horse is still more dangerous in extreme bad 
cases. I have sometimes cornered them with a pole until 
I could get them bridled in order to avoid so much whip- 
ping; I then put up the foot the same as to make him lie 
down, you can then gentle him and be perfectly safe, as he 
cannot hurt you, and by giving a few cuts with the whip 
when he shows an ill disposition towards you. In this way 
you can subdue any one, and then by gentling him you gain 
his love, and by this we get him to fear and love us; we can 
then commence teaching him what you wish, and just as 
soon as he gets to know what you want, will obey. This 
thing of putting up the foot conquers faster than any thing 
I have ever seen. 



15 

How to Gentle and Halter the Colt. — Enter the 
stable with a long switch-whip in your right hand, the lash 
pointing backwards; (whale-bone buggy whips are the best,) 
with a silk cracker so as to make a sharp report. When 
you are inside the stable stand still and let your colt take a 
look at you. After he has done this, then approach in a 
vary slow and gentle manner towards him; if he should 
stand still, you can approach about the shoulder; when you 
get to him stand still with your left arm bent at the elbow, 
your hand projecting towards the colt. In about five or ten 
minutes he will turn his nose to take another examination of 
you; favor him with his examination; you can then touch 
him on the nose, neck or shoulder, always rubbing the way 
the hair lays, always using a very light hand. Proceed as 
fast towards the head as he will allow, and accompany your 
strokes with a kind look and pleasant words, such as "ho, 
boy," "nice boy," or "nice lady/' or some gentle words, 
using the same always. If in going to your colt, he should 
move backwards or forwards, step to the right or left as the 
case may be, stand still until he is settled, then approach as 
before directed, and if your horse gives when you are gent- 
ling him, return to where you commenced, and repeat your 
strokes, always returning to the place where you left off, and 
always gaining ground. Now, when you go to approach 
your colt, if he should turn his heels to you, give him one 
or two keen cuts about the stifle, accompanying it with a 
sharp word; this we do to scare him, for our motto is, "fear, 
love, and obey." It is no use to whip him to make him 
mad, for then he will not fear or love you either. When 
you have him gentled, which will take from thirty minutes 
to one hour, you can then taka your halter and approach 
your colt in the same manner as before stated ; if he should 



turn hie head from you, you can put your halter strap around 
hie neck and draw gently to you ; then take that part that 
buckles over the head in your right kand, the other in your 
left, sink it down gently, so as not to scare him, raise it on 
his nose and buckle it, then you have him ready to lead ; 
in which you must be careful how you proceed first. When 
yovi have him haltered and bridled, attach a long strap to 
your bridle, and let him walk around, holding to the strap ; 
but do not pull too hard to scare him, or get him to rare or 
jump ; every few minutes go to him and gentle him. In 
leading, if you can get him to make but one step at a time, 
then gentling, and keep on in that way, and it will take but 
a short time to get him to lead. 

How to Mount and Ride your Colt. — After you 
have handled him as directed, you can now proceed to ride 
it. Now, if you follow the directions, you need have no 
fears. First get a block twelve or fifteen inches high, place 
it where you want to mount your colt, lead him up to it, 
raise yourself gently on the block so as not to scare your colt, 
gentle him well on both sides, then lean on him gently, 
talking to him ; get on a number of times from each side, 
each time gaining a new position j when you have him to 
stand this, change your position in every possible way, then 
take hold of your reins and get him to move first one side 
and then the other, but do not knock your heel or toes into 
his side, for it would likely scare him, which you should 
try to avoid, for if you do scare him it is your own fault, for 
remember this is all new to him, and if your colt should stop, 
say "ho" any how, and he will not know but you wished 
him to stop ; you can then start him by taking hold of one 
rein and turning him around a few times; then let him have 
the reins loose and he will go again for a few steps, if he 



17 

should stop again, you can repeat this operation ; after you 
have rode your colt in the stable, so that he does not mind 
your being on him, you can then take him out in the lot. 
Lead him around to see everything that is in it, so that he 
will not scare, then mount him in the same gentle manner, 
and ride as before directed ; if he should scare, take a short 
hold of one rein and pull his head to one side ; that prevents 
him from rearing or jumping any. By doing this way, you 
can ride any colt without their trying to throw you. It is a 
very good plan to take your colt by the reins, standing by his 
side and walking him around before mounting, as it will 
give him the idea of the way that the reins are used, when 
riding or driving. If your colt is a very wild one, you 
should ride him for some time in the stable and lot ; there is 
nothing there to frighten him. For the first few times that 
you ride him, you should not ride so far as to fatigue or 
make him mad, as it will operate against you. 

How to make A Horse lie down. — Stand your horse 
in the middle of the stable, turn the left fore foot up until 
against the body, take a strap, (a hold back strap of buggy 
harness) buckle it around the arm, and between the hoof 
and ankle, tying it together between the hoof and leg, and 
then put a sursingle around the body, take a hitch strap and 
loop it around the right leg between the ankle and hoof, 
draw the end through the girth, taking a short hold of it 
with your right hand, and with your left close to the bit, 
cause your horse to step; pull with your right hand, which 
will bring him on his knees; then turn his head towards 
you, and in from five to fiteen minutes he will lie down ; 
when he is down, take off your strap, straightening out his 
feet; you can then handle him as you please; go to his 
head frequently, and gentle him over the face and eyes, 
2 



18 

talking to him all the time; keep him down about ten min- 
utes, then let him up when you do this ; you can stop him 
when he turns up, by taking hold of the rein on the upper 
eide, and turning his head back to his side; if he stops, 
then gentle him, you can then let him up after the first 
lesson. From one-half to one hour is long enough to train 
at a time. If you wish to learn him to lie down, repeat this 
several times; then he will lie down by taking up one fore 
leg and tapping on the other with a small stick, and finally, 
just by turning his head by the bit. Now, it is probably 
necessary that I should tell you what kind of a stable to 
handle your colt in ; it must be a stable without a floor in, 
and have plenty of straw in it so as not to hurt his knees. 
This I learned from Mr. Lyons an English horse racer. 

How to put the Saddle on A Colt. — Take your colt 
in the stable, go to him and gentle him all over, then take 
your saddle and tie a knot in the stirrup straps, taking off 
or fastening up other loose straps, then take it under your 
right arm, go to his head, gentling him ; let him examine it 
as he wishes ; when he is through with his examination, 
take and gentle him with the saddle, by rubbing it very 
lightly against his neck; from there proceed to his back, 
always rubbing the way the hair lies. When he allows you 
to pass along one side, pass around to the other, and go 
through the same operation; then shake your saddle a little, 
and if he stands this without scaring, you can then place it 
on his back. Your saddle on and ready to girth; — now 
this you should be careful how you do. First just make it 
tight enough to hold the saddle from falling off; then walk 
him around a little ; then draw your girth a little closer ; 
continue until as tight as you want it ; you can then untie 
your straps and mount your colt in a gentle manner, for 



19 

this is new to him, and he knows not what it means ; bj 
putting your saddle on a few times you then have him 
gentle, and he will care no more about it than the old gentle 
horse. 

How to Hitch the Oolt. — Take your horse in the 
stable, go through the same process as you did with the 
saddle, then put your harness on him, caressing him all the 
time. Put on a bridle without blinds, so that he can see 
what you are doing ; lead him around for some time, then 
take down the lines, caress him, walk close up to him at 
first, get back as he will bear the rubbing of the lines, for 
he must learn this as well as anything else to be a gentle 
horse. You can then take a gentle horse and walk them 
around for some time; at first walking in front of your 
horses, then use your lines for snme time ; then hitch them 
to a light wagon, walk before them for some distance, stop- 
ping every few rods and gentling the colt, and when he 
does not mind this, then make use of your lines; stop fre- 
quently, always caressing him; you can then add a little 
load, and drive over a small hill ; continue this operation 
for a few times, and you then have a gentle, and a horse 
that is true. I know that it is the opinion of a great many 
persons that to break a colt, you should put on a heavy load, so 
that he cannot run away with it, and if he does not pull from 
the start, to apply the whip ; now this is all wrong, for he 
is fast, and does not know what it means, and therefore by 
striking he will jump. This hurts his shoulders, and in 
this way we have our baulking horses, which might all be 
avoided, if we teach him what we want him to do, and he 
has time to understand our wish. 

How to hitch Kicking, Runaway, or very wild 
Horses. — Take the right fore foot, turn it up in the same 



20 

way that you do to make him lie down; walk him around 
in this manner until he learns to travel, occasionally letting 
his foot down to rest* Rub his leg a little, then put it up 
and continue this until he travels pretty well ; you can then 
hitch him to a light wagon, plow or sulky, arid drive him as 
you please. You should not drive him too far at a time, 
without "letting him rest j and by repeating this operation 
several times you can drive the worst horse that ever was, 
and he will become gentle and quiet. There are some who 
think this operation a dangerous one, but they are entirely 
mistaken about this, as he cannot hurt you or himself either. 
You can let him have the lines and whip him too, only guid- 
ing him where you wish to go. There are other methods by 
which some very bad horses are broke. Ilease, a celebrated 
horse jockey says, by putting on iron martingales, he can 
break any kicking horse. Snider says, take a small cord, 
and tie around the body, as tight as you can draw it and let 
the colt wear it ; he says that will break him, and the Yan- 
kee mode is, to tie a rope from the bit back to the hind 
foot; that will answer the purpose. But I have never seen 
anything to equal the one foot operation, for it appears that 
by conquering the one foot, you conquer the whole horse. 
It is sometimes very good to ride a very wild horse with his 
one foot up for a few times, that is a horse that has been 
spoilt, but a colt that you handle from the beginning, it is 
not necessary, as he knows nothing good or bad, and if you 
follow the directions he will learn nothing bad, and you need 
have no fears. 

How to learn a Horse to eollow you. — Take him 
into a stable without stalls in it, go to him and gentle him 
over the eyes and around the ears, take him by the bridle 
and lead him around a few times ; stop frequently, and rub 



21 

him over the face j repeat this a few times, saying to him, 
"come along, boy/' or something of that kind, after you 
lead him around for a few times, if he does not keep close to 
you, touch him over the runip a little, or along the sides; 
whenever you touch him with the whip, gentle twice as 
much as you strike him, then let loose the bridle, merely 
touching the rein in the turns; stop frequently and gentle 
him; if he should turn from you, give him one or two 
sharp cuts about the stifle, then go to him and gentle him 
two or three times as much as you whipped him. In the 
course of ten or fifteen minutes he will follow you all over 
the stable, and would rather be with you than any where 
else, because you always look pleasant, talk kindly, and 
gentle and rub him whenever he comes to you. Now in 
this it is singular what an attachment he will have for the 
operator. We first excite his love by gentling him, and ex- 
cite his fear by touching him with the whip; as I heard an 
old man remark, who had learned this theory, that the horse 
feared with one end and loved with the other; through 
which we have attained our object, which is of considerable 
benefit to us, and doubly so to the horse. From fifteen to 
twenty minutes is long enough for the first lesson, or he may 
become tired of you, which is not desirable. 

HOW TO LEARN YOUR COLT TO STAND WHERE YOU 

place him. — Take him in the stable, and place him where 
you wish him to stand, then commence gentling him about 
the head, from this proceed back to the rump, then go to 
his head again, and proceed in the same manner; by doing 
this he will let you puss around behind him ; if he should 
move, place him where he was, then gentle again ; as he 
stands your passing around him, enlarge your circle and in. 
crease your pace ; go to him only occasionally ; if he should 



22 

move again, give him a cut with the whip and place him 
where he was, always gentling twice as much as you whip, 
but do not keep him in one place too long at a time, but 
lead him to another place ; continue as before directed j 
frequently making him come to you, and occasionally make 
him follow you, then put him in his place again, and do as 
before directed. From fifteen to twenty minutes is long 
enough for a lesson of this kind. Two or three lessons, and 
your horse will stand where you place him, without holding. 
This lesson should be given before working, and it is of 
service to him if in riding, for it is much better for him 
to stand for you to mount him, or when you go to hitch 
him, or in fact it is very necessary to have him stand, as it 
will save you trouble in every part of handling. 

How to iriTciT a Horse in a Sulky. — Lead him to and 
around it; let him examine it as he wishes, so that he will 
not scare at it; then lead him in front of the right wheel ; 
have another person to stand on the right side; you gentle 
him along the left side ; then take up your shafts in a very 
gentle manner, until they are directly over him, then lower 
them very slow; when they are down to his side, then move 
them against it ; do this very easy at first, then a little 
harder, until he is used to them against his sides, then 
fasten him. You are ready now to start. Now, in this, be 
very careful how you proceed. Take your horse by the 
head, walking directly before him at first ; stop every few 
rods and gentle him ; then one of you take the lines down 
and work back gradually; when he becomes calm and gen- 
tle, get into the sulky j do this slow and easy ; let one walk 
before him for a short time; walk your horse all the time; 
the first time or two that you hitch him up, he does not be- 
come wearied or frightened, and he will then think that he 



23 

has got no way to escape, and therefore whenever you hitch 
him up there is no alternate but to obey your dictates. In 
hitching horses, I always use a bridle without blinds, in 
form of a bitting bridle. If your horse should be a very 
wild one, I would advise you to put up one foot. 

On Baulking. — This is something on which we have 
so many different theories and opinions given, that we hard- 
ly know which is the best ; but of all the different plans 
that we have ever found, we find that the cause of all these 
troubles is occasioned by mismanagement, or for the want of 
a proper knowledge of the horse. I will now give you a 
plan by which you can make any baulking horse true in a 
very short time. Take your horse in the stable, learn him 
to follow you ; learn him to stand where you place him. — 
This will cause him to fear, love, and obey you; then take 
a horse that is true and gentle, place them together ; start 
and stop very often ; gentle him when you stop ; then hitch 
to a light wagon in as quiet a manner as you can ; go 
through the same process as you did with the colt, as to 
make a true horse of him, he must have the same gentle 
treatment that the colt does, in fact he requires a great deal 
more, for the colt knows nothing bad, so we have nothing 
to do but to learn him what we want him to do, but the 
baulking horse we have the bad to take out of him, and 
then teach him what we want him to do. We sometimes 
get hold of teams that are baulked. Go to the horses, make 
the driver and all but yourself stand off, then loose the lines 
and gentle them over the face and head; when they have 
become calm, then, take them by the head and turn the 
tongue to one side, but not to move the wagon ; let them 
stand and gentle them ; repeat two or three times, then if 
they have become calm, as you turn them to the near side, 



24 

let them start in a very gentle manner, and in nine eases 
out of ten you can start a baulked horse in ten minutes, but 
in no case use a whip only in the stable, and then as little 
as possible. There are exceptions in all cases, but these 
methods I have tried, and I have never found a horse that 
I could not make true, in at least one week's handling, and 
sometimes in a single day. If you should get hold of a 
baulky horse try my plan, and you will find no difficulty in 
handling any and make them true. 

HOW TO LEARN YOUR COLT TO STAND HITCHED. — Take 

and hitch him in the middle of a large stall, place a bar 
across behind him, so that he cannot make a pull straight 
back or forward. He will have to pull sideways, and he 
eannot break anything by pulling in this manner, and by 
doing this way a few times, he will find that he cannot get 
loose, and will give up, and you need have ho more trouble 
with him, as he could not break it when he tried, he will 
consider himself fast if only tied with a very light strap. 

Experiments with the Robe, Umbrella, Drum, 
and other frightful objects. — Take your horse in a 
tight stable, gentle him, then take your robe, wrap it up 
and take it under your right arm; go to his head, gentle 
him, then let him smell and feel it with his nose; when he 
has examined it, then rub it against his neek, the way the 
hair lays; proceed on back along the one side, then the other; 
when he is calm, shake your robe easy, to let him hear the 
rattle, then place it on him very easy, only do not go faster than 
he will stand it, and in twenty or thirty minutes he will al- 
low you to swing it over him as you please, as he finds that 
it will not hurt him, and he will find that it is not as dan- 
gerous as it appeared. It is a good idea to hang your robe 



25 

up in the stable, or in a small lot, and let your horse in with 
it. After you have put it on him, then he will never scare 
at it, let him see it where he will; Proceed in the same 
manner with the umbrella, and also with the drum, only 
when you first approach him with the latter, do not beat on 
it until he has examined it, then commence very easy, and 
do not let him see you strike at first ; proceed in the same 
manner with any thing else you wish to take on him. 

General Remarks. — First, in gentling, remember that 
the head and face is the place to excite the love, and is the 
source of all good or evil, therefore first try and excite the 
love ; then no matter where you touch him first, from thence 
to the head, and fall from there back the body, going back- 
wards and forwards, then down and up the legs; then take 
up the feet ; when you commence this you should be care- 
ful when you raise the foot; if he wants to set it down let 
him have it, then raise it again ; continue this, a few times, 
and he will let you have it, and do with it as you please. 
Proceed to the others, and continue until you have taken 
all up. 

To learn a horse to shake hands, tap him against the point 
of the shoulder, tell him to hand his foot, then take it up, 
and rub it well ; repeat this for a few times, and he will 
hand it you as freely as any person does their hand, and ap- 
parently with as much pleasure. 

How to make a Bow. — Take up the left foot; one 
hand close to the hoof, your left hand close up to the body ; 
draw the foot back gently, and tell him to bow ; repeat until 
he will bow to suit you. 

If you wish to learn your horse to lie down and you roll 
fcim over, after you have made him lie down several times* 



26 

take him by the legs, raise at him a little, let him down, and 
in a few times you can roll him as you please ; the first time 
that you turn him over be careful that he does not get upj, 
for it sometimes scares him ; when he is turned over, take 
hold of the reins and gentle him. 

Always use snaffle bit with bars to the side, to prevent its 
pulling through his mouth. Never use martingales in 
breaking a colt. Every pull of the hand should go directly 
to the mouth. 

When you ride take a small stick, and if necessary, touch 
him lightly against the shoulder. Whip as little as possible. 

Always learn your horse "wo," from the beginning; then 
if in riding or driving he should become frightened, by your 
saying "wo/' he will stop and stand still by your gentling 
him. This is one of the most essential parts in breaking 
colts. In putting up a foot, always take the same one. 

It is not always necessary to make colts to lie down to 
break them, but conquers them faster than all you can do. 
Always learn your colt to stand to be mounted, with a loose 
rein. In mounting a wild horse, take one rein short, so that 
if he should become frightened, you can turn his head to 
one side ; this will prevent him from raring, kicking, or 
running. A good horseman should never get angry or show 
fear while handling colts. The first colt or two that you 
handle, I would advise you not to try to proceed so very fast 
until you get the theory rightly into practice. 



CHOLIC. 

The cholic is a disease to which the horse is very subject, 
and as often proves fatal, in consequence of improper treat- 
ment, as any disease attendant on that animal. It may be 
produced by improper feeding, watering, or riding and 
sometimes by a want of energy in the stomach and bowels, 
occasioning a spasmodic constriction of the intestines, and a 
confinement of air. Some horses are naturally disposed to 
cholic, while others, even with improper treatment, are sel- 
dom or never attacked with that dangerous disease. 

The symptoms of the cholic commence with great restless- 
ness and uneasiness in the horse's manner of standing ; fre- 
quently pawing; voids small quantities excrement, and 
makes many fruitless attempts to stale ; kicks his belly with 
his hind legs ; often looks round to his flanks and groans^ 
expressive of the pain he feels ; lies down, rolls, gets up 
again, and sometimes for a moment appears to find relief. — - 
But the pain soon returns with double violence; his ears 
are generally cold, and he often sweats about the flanks and 
shoulders j his body swelled, and he frequently shows a dis- 
position to lie down in haste. 

Remedies. — No. 1. — Take one quart of strong, sage 
tea; one teaspoonful of gum camphor; one oz. shaving 
soap; two table spoonsful of spirits turpentine. Mix and 
drench. 

N. 2. — Take from the neck half a gallon of blood; 1 oz. 
laudanum ; of mint tea one quart- Mix milk warm and 
drench. 

No. 3. — Take of mint tea 1£ pints ; £ pint gin or whisk y. 
Mix and drench. 



28 

No. 4. — Take of camphor £ oz.; oil of turpentine £ oz. 
Mix and drench. 

In all cases the horse should be well rubbed under the 
belly. Clothe him well with blankets, in order to produce 
a prespiration. If the case be a bad one, an injection of 
meal, water, molasses, salt and hog's lard ; equal quantities. 
Milk warm. 

SCRATCHES. 

The scratches is a disease which requires no particular 
description. 

Remedies. — No. 1. — Remove the horse to a clean stall, 
clean out his feet, wash his legs and ankles with strong soap 
suds ; wash the parts which are inflamed twice a day with 
strong copperas water, until a cure is effected. 

No. 2. — Wash his legs and ankles with warm soap suds; 
take of blue stone 1 oz.; alum 4 oz.'s ; add \ gallon strong 
red oak bark tea. Wash twice a day. 

No. 3. — Wash with soap suds; take 2 oz.'s white lead; 
2 of hog's lard. Grease the parts affected every other day. 

FOOT EVIL. 

This disease makes its appearance just above the hoof, in 
the edge of the hair. It becomes raw and sore, often pro- 
ducing inflammation to such an extent as to cause the loss 
of the hoof. 

Remedy. — Take \ oz. arsenic; 1 quart whisky. Wash 
the effected parts. In this disease as well as the scratches, 
a mush compound of bran, 1 gallon ; 1 tea spoonful salt 
petre ; 1 table spoonful of powdered brimstone. Also, take 
half gallon of blood. Great attention should be paid to the 
cleanliness of the stable. 



29 

BOTTS OR GRUBS. 

The botts or grubs are small worms that are found in the 
stomach. Their color is brown or reddish ; seldom exceed- 
ing three-fourths of an inch in length. At one extremity 
they have two small hooks, by which they attach themselves, 
while the belly appears to be covered with very small feet. 
They are most generally found adhering to the insensible part 
of the stomach; sometimes, however, they attach themselves 
to the sensible part, which creates great injury. 

Symptoms. — A horse attacked by this disease, frequently 
lies down, and looks round to his shoulder ; groans ; whips 
his tail between his hind legs ; frequently turns up his up- 
per lip, and has a very hot fever, which may be discovered 
by feeling his ears. 

Remedy. — No. 1. — Take molasses, 1 pint; milk, one 
pint. Drench. 

No. 2. — Take of linseed or sturgeon oil, 1 pint. Drench. 

No. 3. — After giving sweet drench of milk and molasses, 
give a quart or two of fish or beef brine. 

No. 4. — Take 1 quart strong sage tea; \- pint molasses; 
2 table spoonsful turpentine ; 1 oz, shaving soap. Drench. 

In case either of the above remedies fail to give relief in 
fifteen minutes, repeat the dose. A purge after either of 
the above remedies would be beneficial, composed of § pint 
soft soap, to 1 pint of molasses, and a handful of salt. 

DIARRHCEA OR SCOURS. 

This disease seldom occurs among horses, and is easily 
cured. It may be produced by a suppression of prespira- 
tion, or by an increased secretion of bile. 

Remedies. — No. 1. — Take sue. aloes, 6 drachms ; cas- 
tile soap, 4 drachms ; and syrup enough to form a ball. 



30 

No. 2. — Take •! pint scorched flour; o table spoonsful 
ginger, £ pint whisky, and drench A horse should be kept 
warmly clothed while laboring under this disease. 

LOSS OF APPETITE. 

Horses lose their appetites from various causes, viz : ex- 
cessive fatigue, want of variety in food, dirty fodder, mouldy 
corn, or a filthy manager. 

Remedy. — Take from the neck vein half a gallon of 
blood. Assafoetida j oz.; salt 1 table spoonful ; sassafras 
tea 1 quart. Mix and drench. On the second day, take 
of glauber salts, 1 lb.; warm water; 1 quart. Dissolve and 
drench. 

FOUNDER. 

The injury sustained by horses, called founder, is some- 
times the effect of the cruelty of his master, and at other 
times brought on by injudicious treatment; but is most 
frequently produced by carelessness, or a want <jf knowledge 
necessary to the treatment of a horse. 

Symptoms. — The symptoms that indicate a founder are 
so few, and so common, that the most ignorant rarely are 
mistaken. Great heat about the legs, pasterns, and cars; 
soreness in the feet, with a stiffness in all the limbs. 

Remedy. — No. 1. — Take one gallon of blood. Give a 
drench of 1 quart strong sassafras tea ; 1 table spoonful salt- 
petre, and \ oz. asafoetida. Do not permit him to drink for 
five or six hours. His feet should be nicely cleaned out, 
and stuffed with cow manure or clay. His drink should be 
at least one half sassafras tea, with a portion of salt added. 

No. 2. — Take one gallon blood ; clean the feet and satu- 
rate well with turpentine. Blanket and exercise him till in 



31 

a state of perspiration ; then rub him dry. Repeat two or 
three time. A founder may also be cured by standing the 
horse in running water a few hours, then bleeding in the 
mouth and rubbing. I learn from Dr. Thornton, that by 
giving 1 table spoonful of alum once a day for two or three 
days. 

When wind galls first make their appearance, they may 
be cured by a bathe of strong red oak bark tea, vinegar, and 
a little alum. Bathe the parts twice a day, and wet a wool- 
en cloth in the baths and tie around as tight as the horse 
can stand it. Should this fail, a blister of Spanish flies will 
take them away smooth. 

Ringbone, when it first makes its appearance, may be 
cured by blistering with Spanish flies. I will give another 
remedy which I have never known to fail: Take 2 oz/s oil 
organum, and anoint the affected part four or five times. 
Be careful to hitch your horse in the sun, and in such a 
manner that he cannot hurt himself or bite at the sore, as it 
is very severe. 

.No. 3. — A strong preparation of corrosive sublimate, add- 
ed to Spanish flies and veice of turpentine and mixed with 
lard, will often dissolve the ring bone. 

The heaves require no description, as all know what they 
are. 

Remedy. — Take 2 oz.'g of sweet oil, hold over a small 
fire until it simmers, then thicken with sulphur and tie it 
on the horse's bit every other two days. 

Remedies for the Distemper. — Before the running 
commences, give twice a day tartar emetic, 2 drachms; 
nitre, 5 drachms, in a mush. Or, after the running has 



32 

commenced, of sweet nitre spirit, 1 oz.; Mindererus spirit 
6 oz.'s; water, 4 oz/s. Give in a mush or in chilled water. 
The drink should be water with the chill off. 

POLE EVIL. 

This disease is situated on the head, and is very disagree- 
able to the horse, as well as to man, and should be attended 
to immediately. 

Remedy. — Take 2 oz/s oil of baze, or mercurial ointment, 
shave the hair off; grease three times every other morning. 
Bathe it in with a heated brick. On the second morning 
after using the last time, bleed in the neck, about two or 
three gallons, and wash with chamber lie and soft soap. — 
This disease sometimes may be cured on its first appearance, 
by blistering. The fistula can be cured by the same process, 
only double the quantity of medicine. 

Purgative Balls, a mild one. — Aloes, 8 drachms, 
powdered; oil of turpentine, 1 drachm. 

A Strong One. — Aloes, powdered, 10 drachms; oil of 
turpentine, 1 drachm. Pound the aloes up and put in the 
turpentine. Make in two balls and give. 

Preventative. — Take 1 oz. of asafcetida, and tie in a 
linen cloth ; nail in the bottom of the manger, renew about 
every three months, or wear a little on your bridle bit. 

Take \ pound saltpetre ; 2 lb. alum; \ lb. salt. Pulver- 
ize and mix them well together, and every eigth days give a 
table spoonful. 



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